Islamic college denied permission for a place of worship

Islam Times: The college wants permission for 170 worshippers to be able to attend Friday prayers and is prepared to knock down a nearby house it owns to create 58 extra car parks.
Imam Burhaan Mehtar, who is the head of the Islamic faculty at the college, said that as Australian Muslims and taxpayers, the local Muslim community felt disappointed and discriminated against by the decision.

He said councillors ignored the expert advice of senior staff and the city’s planning department who recommended the council to approve the place of worship application.
The matter has been before the council several times and appealed in the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Councillors and some residents have expressed concern over the traffic and parking problems when worship occurred without express permission by the council.
Imam Mehtar is now preparing for an SAT hearing and possible Supreme Court case. He said he had hoped to resolve the matter amicably.

This week, councillors were invited by the SAT to reconsider their refusal of the plan dating back to October 26, 2010. But the councillors refused the application again saying the place of worship was not compatible with the existing land use.

Imam Mehtar confirmed that visiting worshippers would only congregate on Friday afternoons while residents are at work, and there had never been traffic accidents reported.
© Islam Times